The More Important Kind of Love
by Twig2
Summary: Jack's sister comes to visit, but he's not the one she wants to spend time with. What happens when you have to chose between your relationship with your girl and your girl's relationship with her brother? Which is The More Important Kind of Love?
1. Chapitre Un

The More Important Kind of Love

DISCLAIMER: Only Annabelle is mine. All the guys are Disney's. *Sigh* Too bad.

Chapter 1

Spot was just walking into Tibby's, ready to sit down after the long walk from Brooklyn, when something bumped into him hard.  He was trying to see what had hit him, regain his balance, and get ready to fight at the same time when a hand reached out to help steady him.

"Hey, sorry about that," said the girl who the hand belonged to. "You're Spot Conlon, right?" She asked after looking into his eyes for a long moment.

"Yeah, and who are you?" Spot asked suspiciously, narrowing his eyes a little.

"I'm Annabelle Sullivan, Ann for short," she replied. "Franky was right, your eyes are exactly my favorite color."

"Really? I like my eye color, too," Spot said, smirking.

Ann laughed. "Looks like he was right about your ego also."

Spot chuckled and was about to ask who this Franky was when Blink and Race walked out of the restaurant.

"Heya, Spot. Haven't seen you around for a while," Race said before noticing Ann. "Who's the girl?" He asked.

            "Well, boys, this ain't just any girl. This is the girl who I'm gonna have to keep my EYES out for." Spot laughed at his own lame joke, putting his arm around Ann's shoulders to keep himself steady, while Ann raised an eyebrow and smothered a laugh. The two Manhattan newsies just looked at each other, not getting the joke at all.

            Just then Jack tried to leave Tibby's, but was blocked by the small crowd standing outside the door.

            "Guys, what's goin – Annie!" Jack yelled, interrupting his own sentence. The three boys looked puzzled, glancing between Jack and Ann, wondering how they knew each other.

            "Oh, umm hi Franky," Ann said to Jack, a little startled by the loud welcome. "It's been too long for a girl not to see her brother."

            "Brother?" Blink and Race asked in unison. Spot would have joined them, but he was to busy hastily dropping his arm from Ann's shoulder.

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            "You them left a note on your bed?" Jack asked. They were all sitting in the LH's main bunkroom 20 minutes later and Ann hade just explained how she had come to be there. "Well the good news is you, my precious sister, get to stay with me a little while."

Ann was looking around distractedly. "Hmm, that's great, uh, where's Spot?" She asked to no one in particular.  
            "Uh, he's out selling," Blink answered, unsure of why she would ask that question.

            Race casually added, "He'll be back in a few hours." Ann's face fell for a second, but she quickly covered up her disappointment at not being able to see the boy she had become so fascinated with.   
            "Hey, Annie, it's not too late, we could go swimming, or play poker, or do each other's hair. It'll be fun," Jack suggested, getting excited. Race and Blink, now joined by Mush, started giving Jack weird looks.

Ann raised her eyebrows. "Yeah, uh actually, I'm kinda tired, I think I'm gonna wash up and go to bed."  
            Mush had known Jack and Ann way back when Jack had just left the orphanage and Ann was about to be adopted. He and Ann considered themselves as uncle and niece. "Annie, before you go..." Mush began.  
            "Yeah, Uncle Mush?"  
            Mush grinned and grabbed at Ann's nose, pretending to take it off and hold it in his fist. "I got your nose!!!!!!" He cried in a sing-songy voice.

Ann let out a quick half laugh – half sigh, then replied in a mocking voice, "Keep it," before heading into the washroom.

Mush's grinned widened. "She loves it when I do that," he exclaimed. Race and Blink, for about the hundredth time that day, exchanged a look.

Jack was on his own little world as he watched his little sister walk into the washroom. "Can you believe she came all this way to see me?"

"No."

"Not really."

            "You mean she's not here to see me?"  
            Jack ignored the returned comments, or maybe he just didn't hear them. "I'll tell you, this is my big chance! I know you guys look up to me as being perfect and everything, but I have had a few failures in my life."  
            Blink nodded knowingly. "That falling head over heels –literally- for any girl you meet thing," he said, sounding pitying.  
            "The fact that you can't sing?" Was Race's guess.  
            "Or dance," Mush added.  
            Getting into the sprit, Race put in "You have a hard time getting outta chairs."  
            "You have a really bad accent," Blink said without missing a beat.  
            Finally getting fed up with the game of Jack-bashing, he interrupted. "Hey! Hey, fellas! Those were not failures, alright? Those were character building experiences; my failure was as a brother. But I have a chance to make up for that all right now," he said, serious.  Ann chose that moment to walk out of the washroom and over to a bunk near the window. "Oh, Annie, hunny, that's Spot's bunk. Your bed is over here, near me," he told her, pointing out the spare bed under his own.  
            Ann, not having noticed the four boys still in the room, had jumped at the sound of Jack's voice. She sighed quietly. "Oh my mistake, your the best brother," was the last thing she said before glancing towards the door and then climbing into her bunk.

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AN: Sorry about all the Jack-bashing in this chapter, but he was the perfect victim.

I know this is sounding Mary-Sue-ish so far, and it might for a bit. Just keep reading, it'll change. *Grins evilly* heeheehee.


	2. Chapitre Deux

A/N: Heh, heh. *darts eyes nervously* Don't kill me! I kinda, uh, forgot about this story. *ducks for fear of flying objects* Hey! That was almost alliteration! Yay!

Chapter 2

            The next afternoon, before anyone but the top sellers had gotten rid of all their papes, the newly reunited brother and sister sat together on Jack's bunk. He turned to Ann and said, sounding very suave, "You know, uh, I don't wanna spoil the surprise or anything, but tomorrow I'm taking you to that new playground in the middle of City Hall Park!" In the end, his voice betrayed his excitement.

"Playground?" Ann asked, disbelieving.  
            Jack grinned. "Yeah, I know what you're thinking." He moved his hands around in circles in front of his temples.  
            "I don't think so," She replied, mocking his hand motions.  
            Oblivious to his sister's lack of enthusiasm, Jack practically yelled, "We're gonna have a lot of fun!"  
            Ann's eyes widened at a sudden idea. "Hey, you know what might be more fun," she began, "is if we invite someone else who doesn't need to sell tomorrow. Hmm, do we know anybody who doesn't need to sell?"  
            Jack's brow furrowed as he thought. "Well… Let's see, uh, well there's Spot."  
            Ann bit the inside of her cheek to stop form smiling and said, "Spot. Eh, I guess he would be okay." A smirk slowly crept onto Ann's lips. She and Spot had gotten to be close friends that day and their initial attraction for each other had grown. It looked like Spot would be spending some more time in Manhattan than he'd planed.  
  
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Jack and Ann had walked to Tibby's for supper and Ann scanned the room for Spot. She spotted him (A/N: pun intended) in a booth near the back of the restaurant and pulled her brother over. Ann caught Jack's eyes and gestured for him to talk.

"Hey, Spot," Jack said before spiting in his hand and holding it out to the other boy, who did the same. "So, Annie and me are going to that new playground by City Hall tomorrow, and we want you to come with us," he grinned.

Spot raised an eyebrow at his friend. "I'd like to, but uh, on- on my side of the bridge, we try to avoid… playgrounds," he finished lamely. Fortunately for him, Jack didn't notice. Come to think of it, he hadn't been noticing much at all.

Continuing to smile like an idiot, Jack continued acting like one, too. "Come on, Spot! We're not gonna take no for an answer," he insisted.

Ann forced an excited look an on her face. "Come on, it'll be fun," she said, her voice dipping with sarcasm which Jack, once again, didn't seem to hear.  
            "Okay, sure," Spot sighed in defeat.  
            "Alright!" Jack yelled. "Great. We're gonna have a great time!" He turned away from Spot and embraced his sister, laughing the entire time.  
            Ann hugged him back and said overenthusiastically, "Oh yea, you're the best, Jack!" She looked over her brother's shoulder and made eye contact with Spot. "I love you," she almost whispered. Spot's eyes grew wide. He knew she liked him, he liked her, too, but _love?!  
            Jack, of course, thought she was talking to him and held her tighter. "I love you, too, Annie-Bellie!" He said, making her cringe at the old nickname._

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A/N: *Sigh* my curse never fails. My second chapters always suck.

A thank you and a package of Amazing Elastic Plastic to the three of you who reviewed. *Grins* I killed Sparks. I luffle you all!


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